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Sabin said:
Eh...perhaps. Then again, isn't the Abrahms pretty old, relatively speaking? Sure, there have been retrofits, but the design itself is old. (1980s design)
As to the powerplant...courtesy of Wikipedia.
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The M1 Abrams is powered by a 1500 hp (1119 kW) Lycoming gas turbine, and a 4-forward/2-reverse speed transmission, giving it a governed top speed of 42 mph (67 km/h) on roads, 30 mph (48 km/h) cross-country. Crews have often removed the engine governor and achieved speeds of around 60 mph (100 km/h) on relatively smooth cross-country ground; however, damage and instability to the drivetrain (especially to the tracks) can occur at speeds above 45 mph, resulting in severe danger for the crew. The tank can be fueled by diesel fuel, kerosene, JP-1 jet fuel, any grade of gasoline, or even (theoretically) alcohol.
Range:
M1 : 498 km (310 mi)
M1A1: 465 km (288 mi)
M1A2: 391 km (243 mi)
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The Abrams is a late 70’s tank and is powered by the Honeywell AGT 1500 gas turbine engine. The Allison X-1100-3B transmission provides four forward and two reverse gears. The US Army has selected Honeywell International Engines and Systems and General Electric to develop a new LV100-5 gas turbine engine for the M1A2. The new engine is lighter and smaller with rapid acceleration, quieter running and no visible exhaust. The original M1’s are being upgraded to a2 standards, and are no longer deployed in theaters where tank on tank combat is expected.
As to the range, that depends on a lot of variables. The 137,000lb reported weight of the tank is as shipped. Field kits and reactive armor can add another 18,000lbs. And soft terrain such as sand or bog can more than ½ the range. But too much is made of this. When compared to the M60, it is shorter, but the M60 is a medium tank and as such expected to have longer legs at the expense of firepower and armor. Some Soviet tanks have very long reported ranges, but this includes external stores that would not be available during combat (I would hope), And it should be remembered that tanks are not intended to drive themselves 100s of miles into combat. They ride on wheeled carriers or trains.
Britain and Germany both field expellant tanks of their own, although neither has the field qualifications of the M1. But being close allies, I’m sure that the need for modifications has been passed along as they were discovered in combat. Also, the M1 costs a lot of money, and most 1st world countries would like to keep large purchases in their native economies.
Tanks have become land fighters, once the frame is developed; electronics become the area of advancement. The M1 is more or less the state of the art for large tanks. Any bigger, and you won’t be able to deploy it or use existing bridges in combat. The main gun can basically soot to the horizon, with is the limiting factor for direct fire weapons. Recent mods have been electronic in nature, and the all weather capability of the tank has been much improved. There have also been some changes to the exterior of the tank intended to harden it against small caliber rounds and light rockets. The track and road wheels have always been the place to disable tanks with light weapons. While tank killers get lots of press, lighter AP type weapons can do a lot of harm to armored columns.
The US is starting to deploy several wheeled armored vehicles. They are faster, longer legged, and most of all lighter and more air mobile. The M1 was built to go toe to toe with the Soviets on the German plain, and as such is over kill for most to the tasks it faces today. But when called upon to be a main battle tank, it has yet to meet its equal. I’ll quote some results from GW1.
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In his book "Desert Victory - The War for Kuwait", author Norman Friedman writes that "The U.S. Army in Saudi Arabia probably had about 1,900 M1A1 tanks. Its ability to fire reliably when moving at speed over rough ground (because of the stabilized gun mount) gave it a capability that proved valuable in the Gulf. The Abrams tank also has… vision devices that proved effective not only at night, but also in the dust and smoke of Kuwaiti daytime. On average, an Abrams outranged an Iraqi tank by about 1,000 meters." The actual numbers of Abrams M1 and M1A1 tanks deployed to the Gulf War (according to official DOD sources) are as follows: A total of 1,848 M1A1 and M1A1 "Heavy Armor" (or HA) tanks were deployed between the US Army and Marine Corp (who fielded 16 M1A1's and 60 M1A1(HA) tanks).
As the Gulf War shifted pace from Operation Desert Shield to Operation Desert Storm, and the preparatory bombardment lifted, U.S. Abrams tanks spearheaded the attack on Iraqi fortifications and engaged enemy tanks whenever and wherever possible. Just as they had done in the Iran-Iraq War, the Iraqi Army used it's tanks as fixed anti-tank and artillery pieces, digging them into the ground to reduce target signature. However, this also prevented their quick movement and Allied air power smashed nearly 50% of Iraq's tank threat before Allied armor had moved across the border. After that the Abrams tanks quickly destroyed a number of Iraqi tanks that did manage to go mobile.
The Abrams' thermal sights were unhampered by the clouds of thick black smoke over the battlefield that were the result of burning Kuwaiti oil wells. In fact many Gunners relied on their "night" sights in full daylight. Such was not the case with the sights in the Iraqi tanks, which were being hit from units they could not even see. Concerns about the M1A1's range were eliminated by a massive resupply operation that will be studied for years as a model of tactical efficiency.
During the Gulf War only 18 Abrams tanks were taken out of service due to battle damage: nine were permanent losses, and another nine suffered repairable damage, mostly from mines.
Not a single Abrams crewman was lost in the conflict. There were few reports of mechanical failure. US armor commanders maintained an unprecedented 90% operational readiness for their Abrams Main Battle Tanks. {/quote]